Day 1

•  Visit Denropark Stepanavan; This cool and tranquil 35-hectare arboretum 11km south of Stepanavan was established in the 1930s and has a vast array of conifers and deciduous trees. It's especially popular in May when locals with respiratory problems come to inhale the pollen (not recommended for allergy sufferers!)

• Visit Dilijan Town; It's billed as the 'Switzerland of Armenia', and although that may be a bit of a stretch, alpine Dilijan has undeniably attractive scenery and an extremely pleasant climate. During Soviet times this was the peaceful retreat for cinematographers, composers, artists and writers to come and be creative; today it's a centre for tourism with a number of fine hotels. There is certainly enough natural beauty to inspire creative thought: the lush oak and hornbeam forests surround the town with snowcapped peaks in the distance. In summer the villagers herd cattle down from the mountain pastures through the town, and people gather mushrooms and mountain herbs from the rich deciduous forests. The local architecture features a lot of steep tiled roofs and wooden beams, along with some cute gingerbread-style structures. Even the local Soviet monuments have a touch flair. The medieval churches of Haghartsin and Goshavank can be visited on an easy day trip from Dilijan.

• Visit Art Gallery and Museum of Dilijan; Housing an eclectic collection of European and Armenian art from the 16th to 20th centuries, this gallery is housed in a grandiose building on the road to the upper town and is Dilijan's major cultural institution. Some of the older works from Italian and Frech artists had been housed in museums in Moscow and St Petersburg but were moved to Dilijan during WWII for safekeeping. The stand-out Armenian work is Arpenik Nalbandyan's Cezanne-like Children from Khndzoresk.

• Visit Haghartsin; Hidden in a verdant valley 13km northeast of Dilijan, Haghartsin ('Dance of the Eagles') was built between the 10th and 13th centuries and has three churches: one named for Gregory the Illuminator; another for the Virgin Mary (Surp Astvatsatsin); and the third for St Stephen (Stepanos). There are stunning khachkars (don't miss the one on the southern wall of Surp Astvatsatsin), a sundial on the wall of St Gregory, a ruined gavit and a refectory with the stunning arched ceiling. The monastery was built by order of two brothers, prices of the Bagratuni kingdom and their family seal can be seen o the back of St Stepanos. A recent restoration of the site funded by the Sheikh of Sharjah in the UAE has seen the church buildings lose their historic patina, and many visitors find their bright and shiny appearance disconcerting. No doubt they will blend back into their surrounds in the future.

Day 2

• Visit Goshavank; Founded in 1188 by the saintly Armenian cleric Mkhitar Gosh, who was buried in a little chapel overlooking the main complex, this monastery features the main church (Surp Astvatsatsin), smaller churches to St Gregory of Narek and St Gregory the Illuminator, and a matenadaran (library) that is said to have held 15,000 books. A fourth church topped by a bell tower was built on top of the library in 1991; the entrance was via the external cantilevered staircase. Goshavank is considered one of the principal cultural centres of Armenia of its time; historians believe it was abandoned after the Mongol invasion in 1375. It then appears to have been reoccupied between the 17th to 19th centuries and restoration was underway at the time of research. When here, take note of the splendid khachkar between the second St Gregory chapel and the gavit.

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• Visit Ijevan; Surrounded by forested mountains and with the Aghstev River running through its centre, Ijevan is the attractive capital of Tavush marz. Ijevan means 'caravanserai' or 'inn' and the town has been on a major east-west trade route for millennia. The local climate is warmer than Dilijan, and the town is the centre of a wine-growing district producing some acceptable white table wines. The town has some handsome early-20th-century buildings, a bustling open-air shuka and wine factory. 

• Visit Ijevan Wine Factory, Put aside all expectations of a picturesque winery, because Ijevan's wine factory is just that- a large industrial complex where the local grape harvest is transformed into dry white and sparkling wines under the Haghartsin, Gayane and Makaravank labels. The tour explains how the factory's wine and cognac is produced, and the tasting includes three wines. The factory is about 1.5km from the town centre, on the road to Dilijan. 

• The last- but not least- visit Lastiver. Lastiver is one of the most picturesque places in Armenia. Lastiver is mostly covered with forests. The picturesque hillside gorge Khachakhpyur is one of the regions of cave architecture's formation. Located in a dense forest complex of Small Anapat- a rare synthesis of natural and man-made niches, settles for thousands of years, until the period of maturity of the Middle Ages. Just below the caves, at the lowest point on the gorge, you will see a cascade of beautiful waterfalls. On hot summer days, visitors can swim in the cool water of the river Khachakhpyur.

•  Many people wonder what does"Lastiver" mean. The fact is that during Mongol invasions in 13th-century, locals found their shelter in this cave. The cave is located on the almost flat slope of the canyon. In order to reach the cave people constructed a ladder, which reminded a raft. From then on the location had been called "Lastiver", which is translated as "up the raft".

Following your time at Lastiver, begin the return trip to Yerevan, where this tour concludes with drop-off at your hotel.